2019

“ The 2019 vintage speaks of elegance, of peacefulness, of equilibrium. It represents a Terra di Lavoro that is not fatigued by the unexpected atmospheric disturbances, on the contrary, it is graceful and imparts calmness by its very existence ”

Allegra Selvaggi
IN THE VINEYARD

January 2019 - October 2019

In 2019 the year began with a brief snowfall that coloured the the vines white. It settled but soon disappeared. In the first few days of the year, temperatures fell below zero and humidity levels were high, making us feel even colder. Before we started pruning, we bottled some of the remaining 2017 vintage. Fortunately, that day the weather improved and at least we had some sunshine. As the month continued, humidity levels remained quite high with temperatures never rising above 10°C – cold weather that is to be expected in that period here at Galardi. We began pruning in the second week of January enveloped in fog, a hallmark of the humidity, which reached 90 per cent.

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February arrived with still no sign of frost. Temperatures rose slightly, humidity levels fell, the sun warmed the vines and we were outside working in the vineyard. With the exception of the snowfall at the beginning of the year, nothing seemed to be too severe, humidity aside, and we knew we had to keep that under control. As we pruned, we could hear the dry leaves crunching underfoot and this told us the soil was not suffering; the sun and the strong wind from the sea evidently helped. In the distance, the mountains were no longer snow-capped and the grass was a bright green. 
 
No extremes. It was neither too cold, too hot, too wet nor too dry. After the 2018 vintage, we had already been expecting hot weather, but instead this vintage surprised us right from the start. Temperatures swings were good, dropping to only a few degrees at night and rising to an average of 15 degrees during the day. Still no rainfall with a few exceptions between the end of January and the beginning of February. Waiting for March, we were on the alert because the calm weather was perceptible. We finished pruning early and by March we were already in the vineyard replacing the oldest poles and tightening the trellis wires. There was no rain this month either. 
 
The days passed serenely and it was as if we were expecting something at any moment. It was now time for the heat to arrive. We had been accustomed to alternating sunshine and rain for several years, but temperatures were still modest and there was no sign of rain.
 
In the green grass beneath the vines yellow dots started to appear. It was time for some blooming. After all, spring was just around the corner. Our buds also began to enlarge and show their first leaves with marked veins and unique colours in mid-April. Budding was slightly early but this was not surprising. Everything around us was healthy. Mallows now accompanied the little yellow flowers making the colours in the vineyard elegant. The Judas tree in front of the winery was so vigorous this year that someone took a sprig of it home. We started treating the vines in May.
 
No major warnings, so we opted for small quantities of copper and sulphur. Meanwhile, in the vineyard, we had also started the green pruning. It was neither hot nor cold. A few rainfalls accelerated the vegetative development and due to a slightly higher moisture content, we decided to increase the sulphur slightly. For summer to arrive we would have to wait until 9th June, the day when suddenly warmth gave way to heat. Everything exploded, but at the right time. It was not unusual heat, just normal for the summer. We armed ourselves with brush cutters to clean up the vineyard.
 
When we started the selection process, we realised that, like the vintage, the vines were neither overloaded nor under-loaded. The bunches were composed, almost naturally selected. Temperatures settled down during the summer. Humidity levels were slightly high again, but also this year we had avoided any disease. We continued to treat and clean the vines even though the vegetation was growing modestly.
 
The combination of constant temperatures, some rain and the wind drying out the leaves ensured that the grapes continued to ripen well. Neither early nor late. That sense of calm had remained since the pruning phase and it seemed that no weather event had effected the 2019 vintage. By the beginning of October, we had almost brought the grapes to the desired Brix. A slight drop in temperature and some rain slowed down ripening, but without damaging the bunches.
 
We finally harvested in the second week of October: we had thought the harvest would be earlier, but this was the one and only unexpected moment of the 2019 vintage. Elegance and balance are what we expect to find in the bottle in two years’ time.
IN THE BOTTLE

June 2021

As expected, the Terra di Lavoro stands out for its immediate equilibrium and elegance. It is enveloping and smooth with soft tannins that make you ask to continue tasting.

The wine is dark as it flows into the glass. It is only on the transparent rim that Terra di Lavoro is revealed in its early youthful phase with iridescent hues that go from ruby red to violet.
 
Elegance also arrives on the nose. Subtle hints of violet, and balsamic notes of eucalyptus and liquorice. Spicy notes of ground cardamom and white pepper. Slight hints of black fruit, but not as pronounced as in hot weather vintages.
 
The sip is elegant, full, complex, and as always, it lingers on the palate. On tasting, its balance is confirmed. The 2019 Terra di Lavoro is vertical. It conveys great elegance in the sip, confirmed by the softness of the tannins. The aftertaste confirms the aromas, but the mouthfeel deepens with citrus sensations and herbaceous aromas on the characteristic mineral finish.
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L’Empire des lumières, Magritte. 1953.
Peggy Guggenheim Collection

THE PAINTING

Artistic Notes

The peacefulness of the 2019 vintage, the total calm of those days and nights, the absence of the surreal, and yet real elements in these decades of climate change remind us of a painting by Magritte, L’Empire des lumières. 

In this painting, time seems to have stood still, crystallised, almost as if it had no time of its own. Night and day coexist, representing a contradiction, a mystery, but through an elegant idea like the image of a landscape, of a street lit by a street lamp, of a small house and a blue sky full of perfect white clouds.

This is exactly what 2019 represents for us. A change of course from the past. A tacit fight against climate change, eliminating and resetting it for an instant that lasted a year.

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TECHNICAL SHEET
Vintage 2019

Grape varieties: Aglianico 80%, Piedirosso 20%
Production zone: S.Carlo di Sessa Aurunca
Area under vine: 9 hectares
Vineyard elevation: around 500 meters above sea level
Training system: Spur Pruned Cordon
Vine density: 4.500 vines per hectare
Production: 5.000 kg. per hectares
Wine yield: 60%
Age of productive vines: 19-22 years 75%, 11-15 years 20%, 3 years 5%
Harvesting: 10, 11 and 17 October
Vinification: Maceration in contact with the skins for 20 days and
cap punchdown several times a day
Malolactic fermentation: Fully developed in steel tanks
Ageing: 40% in new barriques Allier and Never for about 12 months
Alcohol: 14%
Total acidity: 5.29 gr./litre
PH: 3,70
Net dry extract: 32.10 gr./litre
Production: 20,000 bordolese, 100 magnum, 50 double magnum